In Depth Tianzhenosaurus is a genus of relatively small ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Cretaceous, though a specific point of time during the late Cretaceous is unavailable at the time of writing. There has however been speculation that Tianzhenosaurus may actually be synonymous with the genus Saichania. Further Reading - A … Read more
In Depth Sumpalla ia a genus of ichthyosaur that lived in the waters around South America during the late Jurassic. The holotype fossil of Sumpalla was originally assigned to the Aegirosaurus genus, before being re-described in 2021. Further reading - Morphological disparity in the evolution of the ophthalmosaurid forefin: new clues from the Upper Jurassic … Read more
In Depth Today Cryptosaurus is considered to be a genus of ankylosaur, though because it is only known by a partial femur the genus is considered dubious because it would be almost impossible to assign further remains to the genus. When first described by Harry Govier Seeley, Cryptosaurus was thought to have been a relative … Read more
In Depth Tupuxuara was a diurnal pterosaur that lived close to the sea, and is thought to have hunted for fish. The elaborate crest shows evidence of an extensive network of blood vessels. Although possibly for thermoregulation, a more likely scenario is that Tupuxuara flushed blood into its crest to produce a striking and vivid … Read more
In Depth Originally thought to be a basal azdarchid, Eoazhdarcho is now placed in the Chaoyangopteridae, the group that includes Chaoyangopterus. This group still falls within the azdarchoidea, and with a 1.6 meter wingspan, Eoazhdarcho is one of the smaller members of the group. Eoazhdarcho has a toothless beak possibly indicating a similar stork lifestyle … Read more
In Depth The first specimen of Styxosaurus was of a skull and twenty cervical (neck) vertebrae, but was initially described as a species of Cimoliasaurus (C. snowii) by Samuel Wendell Williston in 1890. Williston then shifted it over as a species of Elasmosaurus in 1906 as E. snowii. Later study by Samuel Paul Welles led … Read more
In Depth Seazzadactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Europe during the late Triassic. Further Reading - Seazzadactylus venieri gen. et sp. nov., a new pterosaur (Diapsida: Pterosauria) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of northeastern Italy. - PeerJ 7(e7363). - F. M. Dalla Vecchia - 2019.
In Depth Mimodactylus is a genus of pterosaur that lived in North Africa during the earlier stages of the Late Cretaceous. Mimodactylus is described from the almost complete fossil remains of a juvenile. Mimodactylus has teeth that are fairly short, conical and unserrated. These teeth would have been most suited to cracking opened the hard … Read more
In Depth Although a relatively little known genus of pareiasaur, Parasaurus was actually the first pareiasaur genus to be named. Parasaurus lived in Germany in during the late Permian, and like with other pareiasaurs, was a plant eater that fed upon low growing vegetation. Further Reading - A re-evaluation of Parasaurus geinitzi, the first named … Read more
In Depth The dinosaur Beg is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous. The full type species combination of this dinosaur is Beg tse, and is derived from the himalayan deity Beg-tse, an ancient god of war usually depicted with a ferocious face. Further reading - A neoceratopsian dinosaur … Read more